“What is this? What is that? What does that mean? Why that?”
Reading the Bible on your own, with no group and nobody to ask? The questions aren't a sign you're doing it wrong. Many of them can be answered before the page, not after.
FLBy the Faith Label teamSeptember 25, 2026 · 8 min read
By the end of the chapter, more question marks than notes.
You open to where you left off. A few verses in, the first question. Then another. Who is talking here? Who was this written to? Why is this even in here?
You look one verse up online and get three different answers. You tell yourself it will make sense once you find a group. People write exactly that:
C
Forum member · christianforums.com
“Unfortunately, I don't have a bible study group or anyone to study the bible with...yet I figured I could utilize books until I find a group.”
Posted publicly on christianforums.com
Here's the thing.
A lot of those questions aren't about one verse. They're about the whole book: who wrote it, who it was for, what was going on. That means they can be answered before you start, not after you're stuck.
· · ·
Before we made anything, we read.
3,500+public posts, comments and reviews about reading the Bible
746short quotes kept, word for word
Some of the plainest came from people reading on their own:
Reading aloneMost relevant
R
Reddit user · r/Bible
“i find myself always reading a part questioning it then the answer is usually somewhere down the line in texts. sometimes not, but i find myself stopping and pausing a lot questioning a lot.”
▲ 60 Posted publicly on r/Bible
R
Reddit user · r/Bible
“I am someone who comes from absolutely no religious background, so whenever Luke mentions things from the past that he himself hasn’t acknowledged yet, I am truly lost.”
▲ 20 Posted publicly on r/Bible
C
Forum member · christianforums.com
“My background is really just reading the Bible with little to no outside help.”
Posted publicly on christianforums.com
C
Forum member · christianforums.com
“I know there's online commentary tools available, but it's hard for me to digest things if I were to use digital tools.”
Posted publicly on christianforums.com
R
Reddit user · r/Bible
“And after getting so many different answers, I decided I wanted to read it for myself.”
▲ 57 Posted publicly on r/Bible
R
Reddit user · r/Bible
“I also understand that once I have took that first step that I would gain guidance from the church in understanding the bible better as I would be able to ask questions.”
▲ 21 Posted publicly on r/Bible
Someone ready to read, putting it off until there's someone to ask. The questions don't wait for a group.
· · ·
Here's the part that never reached the kitchen table.
Look at the margin again. Who is talking? Who was this for? Why is this here? They all point to the same missing thing: the backstory. Tap through:
Tap through · 4 steps
Every book was someone's mail.
Each book of the Bible was first written to people who already knew the backstory: who was writing, what had just happened, why it mattered.
Paul's letter to the Corinthians was to one church, about problems they already knew they had.
Then the envelopes were thrown away.
66books
~40writers
~1,500years
Laws, songs, history, letters, visions. All in one cover, and not in time order. You got the letters. Nobody handed you the envelopes.
So you read it blind.
Leviticus, a rulebook for priests, handed to you with no idea who it was for or why. Of course it stopped you. Anyone would get lost in a box of letters with no envelopes.
That's why reading harder didn't work, and why the plan died in the same place. It was never your discipline.
Envelope First: the envelope, then the letter.
1Who wrote it
2Who it was written to
3What had just happened
4Then open your Bible and read the book
Bible scholars say it this way: the Bible was written for us, but not to us. Return Address hands you the envelope for all 66 books.
And look at the advice people get when they're reading alone and stuck:
R
Reddit user · r/Christianity
“There will be plenty you read that makes not much sense but I'd encourage you to keep reading and just accept it might be your lack of understanding for now.”
▲ 430 Posted publicly on r/Christianity
R
Reddit user · r/Christianity
“if you dont understand use google it explains the whole chapter!”
▲ 500 Posted publicly on r/Christianity
R
Reddit user · r/Christianity
“Keep a notepad to jot down questions as you are reading. Look into them when you get a chance.”
▲ 1,964 Posted publicly on r/Christianity
Keep reading. Look it up. Write the question down for later. A search can hand you three answers when what you needed was one backstory. That's why the notebook kept filling.
57%
Even with a pew and a pastor. 57% of Protestant churchgoers say they find it challenging to make sense of the Bible when they read it on their own.Lifeway Research, 2019
R
Reddit user · r/Bible
“I guess I am just coming here for some reassurance that it’s okay to not have all the background knowledge yet?”
▲ 20 Posted publicly on r/Bible
It's okay.
The first readers had the background. You were never handed it. And you never needed a group's permission to start.
· · ·
So put the envelope back.
The fix isn't to wait for someone to explain it. It's Envelope First: before you read a book, find out three things, then read the book itself.
1
Who wrote itWho is talking?
2
Who it was written toWho was this for?
3
What had just happenedWhy is this here?
Those are the first questions in your margin, answered before the page. And for someone reading alone, one part matters most: the blank page. In the guide, the right page explains the book and the left page is blank, so your questions sit right next to the explanation.
Why so many rules?Lev 16: the Day of Atonement
A diagram of the layout. Tap any part.
Before work: one page, then the book.
A
Amazon reviewer · Amazon
“For each book of the Bible there's a short (often very short) introduction. There's no word about the author.”
★★ Review of a book-by-book Bible guide
A
Amazon reviewer · Amazon
“One review says that this is not quite suitable for independent study cuz a lot of questions are open-ended and would need a pastor or group guidance.”
★★★★★ Review of a book-by-book Bible guide
So Return Address explains each book instead of handing you more questions, and leaves room for yours.
What it does
Each book's background, before you read it
Somewhere to start tonight, without waiting
A blank page for your questions
What it never does
Replace a group, a pastor, or your church
Explain every verse
Talk back. Nothing on paper will
The trade-off, up front: it's a compact hardcover and the print is on the small side. If you read with glasses, keep them handy. If it isn't comfortable, the guarantee covers it.
You're not the only one
If you read on your own, you are in good company. These are real public posts, word for word:
Public posts about reading the BibleWord for word
R
Reddit user · r/Bible
“Today, I wanted to study and learn more about God. The problem was that I had no idea where to start.”
▲ 340 Posted publicly on r/Bible
R
Reddit user · r/Christian
“I’ve never done it so knowing how or where to start confuses me and is a bit daunting.”
▲ 2 Posted publicly on r/Christian
R
Reddit user · r/Christianity
“You are not alone in feeling overwhelmed in the language of the Bible.”
▲ 387 Posted publicly on r/Christianity
R
Reddit user · r/TrueChristian
“For me, that was an incredible experience. I had literally never sat down to read the Bible before, let alone read an entire book in one sitting.”
▲ 59 Posted publicly on r/TrueChristian
R
Reddit user · r/Bible
“Last year I used to read the Bible on a really popular app. But I felt like I wasn't understanding it like I should. I wanna really understand God's word”
▲ 79 Posted publicly on r/Bible
R
Reddit user · r/Bible
“Some parts have been interesting and meaningful, but other parts have left me feeling confused, unsettled, and a bit heavy.”
▲ 105 Posted publicly on r/Bible
R
Reddit user · r/Bible
“Ever since I read Numbers earlier this year, I have been so confused.”
▲ 21 Posted publicly on r/Bible
A
Amazon reviewer · Amazon
“The Bible can be very confusing but this gives me a general views and understanding of each book.”
★★★★★ Review of a book-by-book Bible guide
R
Reddit user · r/TrueChristian
“I've never really sat down to read the Bible outside of church. I don't know why, but even when I feel like reading it, I just can't seem to bring myself to pick it up and start reading.”
▲ 59 Posted publicly on r/TrueChristian
R
Reddit user · r/TrueChristian
“It makes me feel bad because verses like 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to always be ready to defend our faith but if one of ya'll from r/debateachristian or r/atheism tried to engage with me I'd be totally lost.”
▲ 19 Posted publicly on r/TrueChristian
R
Reddit user · r/Bible
“Now I feel super confident at church because I understand the context better during sermons. Plus I can tell if someone is not teaching scripture because I know it.”
▲ 80 Posted publicly on r/Bible
Y
YouTube commenter · public comment
“I was also raised in church. Very involved in youth group, activities, etc… things happened where I turned away from all of it and have been gone for so long.”
Public comment under a YouTube video
Real public posts, quoted word for word. None of them are about our guide.
· · ·
Picture it.
10:40 on a Tuesday night. Nobody to text, and you're about to start Numbers. You open Return Address to its page first. When the long lists start, you already know what the book is doing, and you keep going.
This time the blank page gets a note next to the question mark. You don't open three tabs. And if you find a group next month, you walk in with notes, not only question marks.
R
Reddit user · r/TrueChristian
“Scriptures that finally stood out to me and made actual sense. I was literally bamboozled every single day I opened my Bible.”
▲ 457 Posted publicly on r/TrueChristian
Cold, one more time
Read alone. Look it up. Get three answers. Wait for a group.
With the envelope
Open the next book with its background, and a blank page for your questions.
Y
YouTube commenter · public comment
“Oh, how much heartache could have been avoided if I did this YEARS ago.”
Public comment under a YouTube video
Return Address · the book-by-book Bible study guide
Start the next book with the background.
One spread for each of the 66 books. 60-day money-back guarantee, keep the book. One payment.
Ships with tracking to US addresses, usually 1 to 3 weeks.
You've tried help that didn't help.
Searches, tabs, answers that didn't agree. You shouldn't have to pay for one more.
Tap to flip
60days
So we carry the risk.
60 days from the day it arrives. If it doesn't help you understand what you're reading, or the print isn't comfortable, email us and we refund you in full. Keep the book. No forms, no questions.
Who this isn't for
You want someone to talk it through with. It's not a group, and won't pretend to be.
You need large print. The print is on the small side.
You want every verse explained. It's a guide to each book, not a commentary.
I read alone. Is that really enough?
Plenty of people start that way. This gives you each book's background before the page, so reading alone isn't reading cold. When you find people to read with, it comes with you.
What if I still have questions?
You will, and that's fine. It explains each book, not every verse. Write the rest on the blank page.
The Guide1 study guide, all 66 books$39.99
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